One man lays wreaths in Normandy on unusual D-Day hit by coronavirus

6/6/20

from FoxNews,

6/6/20:

The essence of war remembrance is to make sure the fallen are never forgotten. All it takes is a wreath, a tiny wooden cross, a little token on a faraway grave to show that people still care about their fallen hero, parent or grandparent.
This year, though, the pandemic stepped in, barring all travel for families to visit the World War II graves in France's Normandy, where Saturday marks the 76th anniversary of the epic D-Day battle, when allied troops successfully stormed the beaches and turned the war against the Nazis.
So anguished families turned to the next best thing — an Englishman living on D-day territory, a pensioner with a big heart and a small hole in his agenda.

The Devil You Know.

10/21/19

from The Gray Area:

10/15/19:

It is sad when decorated and well respected military leaders are at odds with the commander in chief. Obama had this problem with Generals Stanley McChrystal and David Petraeus. Now Trump has it with Admiral McRaven and General Mattis.

As a military men, they are supposed to be void of politics. In Admiral McRaven's New York Times editorial, that lack of political understanding is evident.

He says: As I stood on the parade field at Fort Bragg, one retired four-star general, grabbed my arm, shook me and shouted, “I don’t like the Democrats, but Trump is destroying the Republic!”But, if we don’t care about our values, if we don’t care about duty and honor, if we don’t help the weak and stand up against oppression and injustice — what will happen ... If our promises are meaningless, how will our allies ever trust us? If we can’t have faith in our nation’s principles, why would the men and women of this nation join the military? And if they don’t join, who will protect us? If we are not the champions of the good and the right, then who will follow us? And if no one follows us — where will the world end up?And if this president doesn’t understand their importance, if this president doesn’t demonstrate the leadership that America needs, both domestically and abroad, then it is time for a new person in the Oval Office — Republican, Democrat or independent — the sooner, the better. The fate of our Republic depends upon it. President Trump seems to believe that these qualities are unimportant or show weakness. He is wrong.
What in the world, could give him that view of President Trump? Was it the defeat of ISIS? No. Was it standing up to Iran? No. Was it his rearming the military that was decimated by his predecessor? No. Is it the fact that the USA is once again, for the first time since Reagan, actually standing up for itself around the world. No. Is it his stance on NATO? Maybe. Was it pulling out 50 soldiers from northern Syria ( and supposedly leaving the Kurds to be destroyed by Turkish forces)? Maybe. Was it that, combined with General Mattis leaving? Probably.
Former Defense Secretary James Mattis rebuked President Trump at a charity event, ... to the delight of the media and the Democrats. Both groups which despise the US military.
Granted, President Trump's style leaves a lot to be desired. It is a balanced combination of good and bad.
When he fights back, we all love him. And we need him to fight back against all the attacks he is subjected to on a daily basis.
When he fights back, we all hate him. When he feels attacked and lashes out with a counter punch at a time or with someone that he should just ignore, we cringe. An unforced error that happens too often. Doing that with General Mattis was unnecessary, even if they did have a serious difference of opinion. Mattis knows he is not President and Trump knows that he is. That should have been good enough. Instead we now have McRaven jumping into the frey, because he has a difference of opinion. Though he thinks it is over values it is not. It is over strategy.
McRaven's statement that we need Trump out of office and (anyone?) in his place, does not reflect the critical thinking and serious nature which he displayed in his successful Navy career. It shows a clear lack of understanding of the real political forces which are attacking our republic. And, if you act on style vs substance, you will do more harm than good. Nothing in the Democrat political philosophy (and certainly obvious in the Presidential candidates debates) will improve the republic domestically or in the eyes of the world. The main difference is that the devil we know, loves this country, the military and the values on which it was built. The Democrats don't love the country, the values on which it was built or the military. The devil you don't know has been and will be worse!